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Honda EVO6 Concept: 2-Wheels, 6-Cylinders
Motoring Channel Staff - 26/September/2007
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Tokyo, Japan — Car concepts are a dime a dozen these days. If there's a motor show on, you can guarantee there'll be a concept car. But the concept bike is an entirely different commodity. It's a far more rare beast, and sometimes far more interesting.
Headed for the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2007, the EVO6 Concept is Honda's latest attempt to test the naked performance bike waters again. When we say performance, we mean it.
This EVO6 Concept is powered by a 1.8-litre 6-cylinder engine. And it's no ordinary V6 or straight six either, it's a horizontally opposed, or boxer six. Using the same principles as the engine that sits in Subaru's WRX STI and Porsche's 911 Carrera, the EVO6 Concept would make a mockery of the quarter mile drag, while dispatching the zero to 100km/h dash quicker than a Bugatti Veyron.
The huge 6-cylinder engine comes from the Honda Gold Wing, one of the Honda's largest bikes. It's also one of the heaviest bikes on the road too, while the EVO6 is a naked bike, stripped of all its fairing and other parts to leave it not only lighter, but far sexier too.
The huge 1800cc engine is clearly visible as a stressed member of the bike, surrounded by a barely any frame. Huge front brake discs and sports tyres indicate that this concept bike has been developed to be a serious-ish ride, and the front end with its stylised headlight, ram air intakes, and upside-down forks look good.
There's also a single-sided swingarm, 8-spoke chrome wheel rims, and the tail end is impressively minimal. With a good amount of chrome and not too much plastic-fantastic, the EVO6 would make for a very pretty naked bike.
As it's only a concept at this stage there's no plans on building a production model but it does show intent. Honda's rivals have recently taken the lead in the naked bike class, one of the most popular in the world, and it's now clear that Honda wants to drop a bomb on the genre.
Suzuki is planning on shoving its legendary 1340cc Hayabusa engine in a new unfaired motorbike, and there's even been talk of Kawasaki using the engine from the ZX-14 for a naked bike.
We would expect the EVO6 Concept to deliver about 240hp or about 179kW. But more importantly it will deliver huge amounts of torque.
2007 Honda RC212V
Unveiling
Honda Press Release
The
next generation of MotoGP machine is here in the shape of the
Honda RC212V racing prototype. Built to conform to the new for
2007 Grand Prix rules, the bike features an 800cc, V4 engine and a
stunning all new chassis built with mass centralization and ultimate
handling in mind. Welcome to the future...
Basic Concept "Reading
the rider's mind"
Takanori Okuma, the Honda R&D RC212V
Large Project Leader, explains the principles behind the RC212V:
"When we started development of the 800cc machine, effectively the
"second generation" of Honda MotoGP bike, we gave top priority to the
pursuit of excellent handling and drivability. For the newly-reduced
engine capacity of 800cc, we decided a V4 was the most efficient layout.
Rather than focusing solely on top end power, we also concentrated on
producing good power delivery characteristics, which can have a
significant effect on lap times. Using enhanced control systems, the
result is an engine with good drivability in the low and mid ranges, and
excellent power under acceleration when the engine is at the top of its
range.
"On the chassis side, we further enhanced the "mass concentration"
package developed for the RC211V to improve the agility and quick
handling characteristics of the bike. The outward appearance is
aggressive and appropriately innovative for a new generation of bike,
affording both drivability and aerodynamic efficiency. We will continue
to evolve the bike before the season opener and throughout next season."
Satoru Horiike, Managing Director of HRC
comments:
"We are satisfied with the progress of the RC212V prototype. Under the
leadership of Takanori Okuma, the project team has remained well on
schedule with the development and testing programme set by HRC. We are
confident that winter testing will be positive and look forward to being
competitive in this exciting new era for MotoGP."
Technical Specifications
Overall length: 2050mm
Overall width: 645mm
Overall height: 1125mm
Wheelbase: 1440mm
Road clearance: 125mm
Weight: Over 148kg
Engine type: Liquid cooled four stroke DOHC 4 valve V4
Displacement: 800cc
Maximum power: N/A
Frame type: Twin tube
Front Wheels: 16.5 inch
Rear Wheels: 16.5 inch
Front Suspension: Telescopic fork
Rear Suspension: New Unit Pro link
Fuel tank capacity: 21 litres
Source: Honda Press Releases
Honda Develops HFT, a New Automatic Transmission System for Motorcycles
